Outdoor Show Draws Curious

RICHMOND — The salesman displayed a plastic fishing worm that must have been three feet long on the table in front of him.

He was cocked back in his chair with a grin on his face, saying nothing. Crowds stopped by the booth to ogle the thing.

"That's one whopping plastic fishing worm," fisherman after fisherman would say. "What fish in the world's going to bite such a worm?"

The salesman grinned.

"It just did," he said more to himself than aloud.

With this, the salesman removed a pencil-shaped gadget from beneath the counter and began his pitch.

Actually, the gadget turned out to be rather useful for anglers who fish a lot of soft-plastic baits such as worms and jigs.

It's called a "WorMiser," and is a heating device used to repair soft baits that have become worn or too full of "hook bites," made by a fishing hook.

It runs off one AA battery and retails for less than $12.

It was just one of hundreds of useful devices, fishing lures, trolling motors, boats and other fishing matter on display at the Outdoor Show at the Richmond Centre.

The show concludes today, open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. A look at the books from last year's BASS Masters week shows that Richmond can expect to pull in between $8 and $12 million.

* Out-of-state fans contributed $3 to $5 million to city cofers.

* Expenditures from the BASS (Bass Anglers Sportsman Society) staff came to almost $680,000.

* Spending by the contestants, $23,000.

* Publicity for Richmond through the national press, a future estimated $2 to $4 million.

The more than 100 exhibits displayed in the Centre were not all fishing lures. Among the items that could make those hours on the river just a little more comfortable are:

* Rainwear - Today's rainwear is often "Gore-tex," a special light-weight material that's the favorite of today's space age generation because it is breathable, meaning the material prevents the body from getting wet from heat trapped underneath the suit.

Not only is rainwear constructed from Gore-tex, but also socks, jackets, jogging suits, hats, gloves and even shoes.

A Gore-tex rainsuit retails for about $400.

Omega Corporation also makes a new rain suit that does not include Gore-tex. Omega is a sponsor of the BASS Masters tournament. Their suits are a little heavier than Gore-tex, but just as dry. Omega retails for slightly less than $400 per suit.

* Everyone who fishes has at one time thrown his tackle in the back of the truck and only later, when he had to untangle the mess, wished he had at least pinned a piece of cork on the hook.

Harness Techniques of Madisonville, Texas, has come up with a device called "Lure Locker," and another called "Grippersnipper."

The Lure Locker is a device that slides down over a spinnerbait or other lure exposing a hook, and clips to the rod. Safe. Simple.

The Clippersnipper is a small device that is glued to the rod, around which you can wrap the fishing line and just let the hook hang there.

In case you want to snip off the lure and tie on another, one edge is a cutting device.

They retail for about $3.

* Polaroid Camera has picked up the cry of the nation's 65 million fishermen who are preaching catch and release by designing a small camera and pack for taking snapshots of your prize fish so you can release it immediately.